Improvement in fastenings for tobacco presses or cases



UNITED STATES PATENT i OFFICE. l

CHRISTOPHER E. RYMES, or oHAELEsToWN, MASSACHUSETTS.

, iMPnoyEMNT iN FASTENINGS For ToBAcco Presses on cAsEs.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 40,948, dated DecemberV 15, 1863.

To all whom it may concern: J

Be it known that I, CHRISTOPHER E. RYMEs, a resident of Charlestownfin the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Fastenings of Segment-Bands for Tobacco- Cases; and I do hereby declare the same to be fully described in the following specification and represented in the accompanying drawings,l of whichf' Figure l denotes a top view, and Fig. 2 a front elevation, of a tobacco-case, its segments, and segment-band having my said invention. Fig. 3 is a vertical and Fig. 4 a horizontal section taken lengthwise of and through the segment-band fastening.

Much of the tobacco as prepared for the market is pressed into boxes or cases, which, during the act of compressing the tobacco, t0

, be rendered capable of withstanding the pressure of the press employed for effecting theJ compression, are encompassed by segmental blocks, which in turn are surrounded by one or more strong metallic hoops or bands. The fastenings` generally employed for these bands are simpre wedges or keys, so applied at or near the two extremities of the band as to contract the band and draw it closely on the segmental blocks. There are objections to the use of keys, as they are not only liable to be lost, but are difficult to be detached from the bands and frequently become seriously endamaged by the process of detaching them. With my improved fastening, when in use, all its parts are generally in place, or, in other words, so connected with the ring or band as not to be readily or accidentally detachable therefrom, so as to be liable to be lost.

In the drawings, A denotes abox or case for receiving tobacco or any other material to be packed within it by powerful pressure. B B B B are the segmental blocks, which rest against the sides of the box, 'md with it form a cylinder to be embraced by one metallic hoop or band, C. The band C, as shown inthe drawings, is provided at -each of `its vextremities with an ear or projection, a. Through these two ears a screw-bolt, b, is passed laterally,

but without screwing into either of them. It

also goes through an adjustable washer, c, arranged against the outer surface of each of the ears or in a spherical concavity made therein,

the part of the washer which ,is within the/ .A

spherical concavity having a convexit'ycorrescrewed on thenut b, rests against one of the washers c, in manner as shown in Figs. 1, 2, f

and 3. Furthermore, thereis hinged or jointed to the head f of the screw-bolt b an eccentric or cam, g, which embraces the bolt-head and bears against the other washer. This eccentric or cam' gis to be furnished with alever for turning it on its center pin, h,- or it maybe provided with' a pyramidal shank, t, or its equivalent, by which a lever may be applied for the purpose of turning the eccentric on its 111. p As the boxes or'cases to be subjected to pressure vary more or less in size, even when calculated to be of one size, the screw-nut enables the ring .or band to be readily contracted or expanded, as circumstances may require, in order to fit the ring or band to the segmental blocks when applied to a box preparatory to the latter being pressed. After'the band may have been so fitted, the eccentric is to be turned down, so as to clamp the ring or band firmly on the series of segmental blocks, or segments, as they are usually termed by the pressm'an. The washers, by being sphericoconvex and working in corresponding spherico-concave seats, will readily adjust themselves to the screw-nut and` the eccentric under any expansion or contraction of the ring, the adjustment being such as to cause the nut to bear equally or uniformly on the washer, and so as not to injuriously bend or strain the screw while the box may be in the act of being pressed.

vIn pressing tobacco into the box, the latter, with the segments and rings about it, is placed withina press, the platen of which enters and -acts within the box and on the tobacco which I may be put therein, it being pressed or crowded into the box until it'may have become set therein, after which the hoop or hoops and the segments may be `removed from the box.

I claim- My improved segment-band fastening as ka o. E. RYMES.

Witnesses:

R. H. EDDY,

spending to such concavity. AA screw-nut, c,r

F. P, HALE, Jr. ,I 

